Governança do risco: uma proposta para lidar com riscos ambientais no nível local

Abstract

Environmental and climate change involve fragile and conflicting evidences about scientific explanations of global and local consequences, about efficiency of adopted measures to decrease the vulnerability, and about the efficacy of mitigating and adaptive actions. Considering the complexity and the scientific uncertainties related to these environmental phenomena and the risks associated to them, which has been felt at the local level in particular, in this paper we argue for a practice of a new model of knowledge production and decision-making, which is identified as risk governance. The adoption of this model is especially useful at the local level, since the more a community is engaged in the decision-making process, the greater is the possibility of inducing the general public to act individually/collectively to reduce risks and involve these individuals at the mitigating and adaptive actions. Drawing on an empirical research at three cities on the North São Paulo Coast (São Sebastião, Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba), we seek to contribute to this debate and present some results of two participatory methods – focus groups and interactive workshops. We also discuss the scenario-workshop method, a tool to facilitate the active participation of different stakeholders in the sustainable development of cities and possible technical solution debates.

Keywords

• risk governance
• environmental and climate change
• North São Paulo Coast
• participatory methods